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<title>Chameleon Arches: The Disguise That Changes Nothing About How You Look. by The_narwhals_awaken</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28704798">Chameleon Arches: The Disguise That Changes Nothing About How You Look.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_narwhals_awaken/pseuds/The_narwhals_awaken'>The_narwhals_awaken</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Gallifreyan How-To [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Chameleon Arch (Doctor Who), Essay fic, Gen, Trying something new, let me see what you think!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:16:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>923</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28704798</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_narwhals_awaken/pseuds/The_narwhals_awaken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>From one of our research correspondents, we received most of an essay on Chameleon Arches, one of the Time Lord's more secretive tools.  Enclosed is said essay, minorly edited for spelling mistakes and with a note enclosed at the end to clear up some confusion.  We hope you are edified.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Gallifreyan How-To [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908952</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chameleon Arches: The Disguise That Changes Nothing About How You Look.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chameleon arches have been spoken of before, although they are uncommon.  They fundamentally change the species of the user, disguising them as another species, with minimal cosmetic changes besides what is needed for biology.  However, they are still unknown, and many who use them do so unprepared.  They also have an interesting history, what we were able to find, at least.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While much of the history of the chameleon arch has been lost to time, many records do agree that the Other had at least a hand in their creation, if not a role as the inventor.  The reasons for this creation were and are unknown, as with many things relating to them, records have vanished or are corrupted.  However, what remains implied either long-term stealth missions, or, more likely, deep cover to run or hide from enemies.  This secondary usage is what led to their installments on all non-Battle TARDISes, although that phased out around the time of the Type 45s, and is now practically obsolete.  Research vessels often had them proportional to their size- a small crew would only have one, while larger teams would have one for every ten to twenty onboard.  CIA vessels would have one per three to five, to allow for faster cover- they were the ones most frequently under attack, due to either hostiles not liking people messing with their new temporal weaponry, or hostiles not liking people messing with their ‘deity’ or Rift.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However fascinating and deep their history is, the true wonders of the Chameleon Arch is in its function.  It changes the species of the user, with minimal exterior changes to allow for recognition in case of emergency and to minimize pain, and stores the true code of the user in a storage device- traditionally a pocket watch, although there were many other options so that a shiny metal disc wouldn’t stand out.  In addition to this species change, the Arch would also cover up the memories of the user and replace them with an artificial background that would last as long as the user was hiding- either indeterminate, in the case of those dealing with local hostiles, or a set period of time, in the case of Hunters or researchers.  The implanted memories were never perfect, but the Chameleon Arch has simply been added to the list of things that were never completed before the Other’s mysterious disappearance.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chameleon Arch has some severe disadvantages to its use, partly leading to its dissolution.  For one, use is incredibly painful, as every cell in your body is rewritten, and they usually fight against that.  For another, the memories are often fragile and formulaic, and for one who knows what they are looking for, blatantly obvious that something’s being hidden.  Details are often not present, and if they are, are usually encyclopedic and potentially misdated.  In addition, random questions are often answered with the truth, leading to some confusing answers.  Finally, the return to the natural body and mind can have one of two options.  One is that emotions are running high and are often more difficult to control, while the other is emotions running low and it is more difficult to connect to others.  Both states of being can often be settled with time and rest, although both often leave the user exhausted in direct proportion to how high or low the spike was.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While not in use, there are tips and tricks that can keep the Chameleon Arch functioning better, allowing you to hide better and with less stress.  The first tip is to get a basic idea of when you want to hide, and prepare a background full of tiny little stories- possibly even ones that you actually went through, altered for time and place.  This will let you seem more natural and decrease suspicion.  In addition to this, get a friend who retains their natural mind.  Make sure your background keeps you trusting them, and ensure that they have a way to keep themselves hidden.  Generally, a biodampener will be enough, but other tools can rarely hurt.  They will be the ones to insert you into your new lives, as well as the ones who hold onto your real minds.  However, make sure you don’t just stick to them- make a few friends!  Say hi to people!  Making real connections will help your real memories stay tucked down where they are supposed to be hiding.  However, this has a drawback- it will make leaving much harder.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chameleon Arch is unfinished and dangerous, but can also be one of the most useful tools you have in an emergency.  It can keep you safer than you’ll ever be, or lead to your death.  It could lead to some of your favorite stories, or your worst memories.  It’s incredibly painful, both physically and emotionally, and yet returning memories feels like sinking into a bath just this side of too hot, knowing that you don’t have any paperwork, just all the time you need to soak.  In conclusion, its use is-</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Note: This essay was found unfinished, with the sentence unfinished in a scrawl of ink.  The author has disappeared, and we cannot find them.  Do not use a chameleon arch unless you have no other choice, and even then, try to keep it to a minimum- instability increases with time use, although there is not enough data to correctly track the path.  Do not try to track this down, as our first poking tendrils were violently bitten off.  Thank you- The Editors.  </span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, trying something new here!  This is going to be shorter essays that aren't long enough for full fics, but aren't really short enough to make it as chapters either.  Let me know what you think of the style and any ideas you have for both full fics and these shorts!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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